Playing baseball has been a part of Jordan Lane’s life since he was 3 years old.

Robert Holder

Playing baseball has been a part of Jordan Lane’s life since he was 3 years old.

“I remember catching the ball so that’s a good sign,” the Oak Ridge senior pitcher said of his first coach-pitch game.

He made another good sign Monday. Lane put pen to paper in front of a large crowd at the high school as he signed to play college baseball with Western Kentucky next season after being committed to the Hilltoppers for nearly a year.

The right-hander who lets his fastball and curveball do most of the talking has put together some impressive seasons for the Wildcats and has been named to the All-District 3-AAA team the last two seasons.

As ace of the Oak Ridge staff a year ago, Lane won six games and pitched 61 and 1/3 innings, striking out 83 batters while walking just 11. His ERA of 1.48 just missed the Oak Ridge High School single season record.

This year, with the signing now out of the way, he has his hopes set on not only making some records fall, but the District 3-AAA MVP.

“That’s been on my mind,” he said. “Making the decision this early, I get a chance to soak it all in and just enjoy my senior season.”

Lane said he felt like WKU, located in Bowling Green 33 miles north of Nashville, was a perfect fit to play top-tier teams, get a chance to play early and major in business.

“It was just a good fit all around,” Lane said. “I love the coaches. They’re all fantastic. The campus is really nice and for the area I’m looking to major in, it’s a very good school.”

The Hilltoppers finished last season 25-33 (13-17 in the Sun Belt Conference) but have reached the NCAA tournament twice in the last four years and sent 16 players into professional baseball in the last three. They also played Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisville and will play them again this season under manager Matt Myers, a former Tennessee Vol on the 1996 and 1997 NCAA Regional teams.

“They really do play some good teams,” Lane said. “I think it will be interesting and fun to see how I will do against college competition.”

Oak Ridge coach Tom Froning said his ace made a “phenomenal choice” even if it is a rival of his alma mater, Kentucky.

“Jordan is a fabulous young man,” Froning said. “He doesn’t miss a workout and has been a rock for us the last few seasons.”